Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

When Wang Huanbo regained consciousness, he felt as if his whole body was restrained, and he felt extremely suffocated. All around him were noisy voices and a strong smell of disinfectant mixed with sandalwood.

"Push harder, ma'am! I can see the head!" A slightly aged but strong female voice shouted.

"Wanrong! Hang in there! For the child, and for me!" A male voice, trembling with tears, urged urgently.

Wang Huanbo suddenly realized: Am I... being born? Didn't I suddenly die while watching the September 3rd military parade live? Could it be... that I was reborn?

Fragments of her past life memories flooded back: graduating from vocational school at eighteen, struggling to survive at the bottom of society—a photography studio apprentice, a bookstore clerk, a convenience store night shift worker, and finally, a deliveryman who worked rain or shine… At twenty-five, she collapsed from exhaustion in front of her computer in her rented room. She never imagined that when she opened her eyes again, she would find herself in this state.

He tried to move, but to no avail, only able to passively feel the pressure and pull from the outside world. After an unknown amount of time, a force pushed him out of the warm cage; the glaring light and cold air made him cry out in discomfort.

"It's born! It's born! It's a boy!" the midwife announced joyfully.

"Wanrong! How are you?" A male voice rushed to the bedside.

Wang Huanbo struggled to open his eyes and vaguely saw a beautiful woman in a brocade cheongsam, her face as pale as paper, lying weakly on a carved wooden bed. A middle-aged man in a dark blue long gown, with a refined and anxious face, was holding her hand tightly.

"Jinshan...our...Bo'er..." The woman's voice was weak, but her eyes were full of loving care as she looked at Wang Huanbo, who was wrapped up.

"Okay, okay, let's call him Huanbo! Wang Huanbo! It means full of vitality! Wanrong, thank you!" Wang Jinshan was very excited.

Wang Huanbo understood. It seemed his father in this life was named Wang Jinshan and his mother was named Lin Wanrong. The meaning of his name was quite good. However, before he could think about it further, an extreme fatigue overwhelmed him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, he found himself being carefully held and fed rice porridge by a kind-faced old woman with shrewd and capable eyes.

"Young master, drink slowly. From now on, I'll take care of you," the old woman said with a smile. "Madam is weak and doesn't have enough breast milk, so you'll be eating from a hundred families' from now on."

Through intermittent conversations and observations, Wang Huanbo gradually understood his situation. It was 1936, the 25th year of the Republic of China, in Beiping (Beijing), at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. This courtyard was the family property inherited from his father, Wang Jinshan. The Wang family were well-known merchants in Beijing; Wang Jinshan and Lou Zhenhua, later known as "Lou Half-City," jointly operated the Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, and the family was very wealthy. His mother, Lin Wanrong, had been bedridden due to a difficult childbirth. The old woman before him, whom everyone in the courtyard called "Grandma Sun," was an elder of the Wang family, having served them for nearly forty years and was extremely reliable. There was also an older brother, Wang Huanfa, who was ten years old, and an older sister, Wang Huanshuang, who was six years old.

Shortly after Wang Huanbo was born, a mechanical voice rang in his mind:

[Soul compatible detected... Multiverse Transcending System binding in progress... Insufficient energy... Binding paused... Granting host basic buffs: Super Memory, Rapid Learning... System enters dormant state, will activate after host meets specific conditions...]

The sound abruptly stopped, and no matter how Wang Huanbo called out in his mind, there was no response. But after that cool breeze passed, he did feel that his mind was much clearer, and he could see and hear things much more clearly. This system, although it had shut down, at least left some "settlement allowance".

With this "settlement allowance," Wang Huanbo showed exceptional intelligence from a young age, learning to speak and recognize characters at an astonishing speed. He was regarded as the apple of Wang Jinshan's eye and was the greatest comfort to Lin Wanrong during her illness.

However, this period of peace was short-lived. In 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident occurred, and the Japanese army's iron hooves trampled through Beiping (Beijing). On the day the city fell, the sound of cannons shook the heavens. Lin Wanrong, already frail, was so frightened that her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she passed away within a few days. Before her death, she tightly held the hands of Granny Sun and Wang Jinshan, her gaze lingering on the toddler Wang Huanbo.

His mother's death was the first shadow of his childhood. Afterwards, he was mainly raised by Granny Sun. He Yuzhu, the son of Wang family chef He Daqing, who was a year older, became his childhood playmate. To help the frail Wang Huanbo strengthen his body, Wang Jinshan, when He Yuzhu began learning wrestling from a famous wrestler in Beijing at the age of five, also enrolled Wang Huanbo, hoping that the wrestling would make him stronger.

Time passed slowly amidst the chaos of war. By 1944, the war had reached a stalemate, with the Japanese army suffering repeated defeats in the Pacific theater and intensifying its plunder of the occupied territories. The Wang family's business was severely impacted and faced increasing difficulties. Just then, Wang Jinshan received a letter from his second uncle, Wang Yuanhua, who was living in San Francisco, USA.

In his letter, Wang Yuanhua wrote that he had ventured to the United States in the 1920s and, with his authentic Chinese culinary skills, had established himself in the Chinese community, opening a restaurant called "Hua Yan Lou," which gained considerable renown. More importantly, his only daughter, Wang Jinshui, had married Situ Nianhua, the nephew of Situ Meitang, a prominent figure in the local Hongmen Zhigongtang! This connection gave Wang Yuanhua considerable prestige within the American Chinese community. Knowing that China was engulfed in war and his nephew's family was in danger, he strongly urged Wang Jinshan to sell their property and move the entire family to the United States for refuge.

Holding his second uncle's letter, Wang Jinshan sat in his study all night. Outside the window lay the desolation and fear of the occupied territories; inside were his young children and loyal servants. Finally, he made the difficult decision: Go! Go to America!

Next came the tense process of selling off assets. Shops and inventory in Beijing were sold off as much as possible. The most troublesome asset was the Lou's Steel Rolling Mill shares, which Wang Jinshan transferred to his friend Lou Zhenhua at an extremely low price, practically giving it away, just to quickly liquidate the assets. Only his ancestral home at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang remained a place he was extremely reluctant to part with.

"Master, I'll guard this courtyard for you!" Granny Sun volunteered. "Both of my sons have gone to fight the Japanese with their troops. I have to stay in China and wait for them to return! Besides, my old bones can't withstand the arduous journey across the ocean. Don't worry, as long as I'm here, this courtyard will remain!"

Looking at the old servant who had toiled for his family her entire life, Wang Jinshan was deeply moved, knowing this was the best arrangement. He not only left enough money for Granny Sun to live comfortably in her old age, but also gritted his teeth and decided to transfer the house deed to her name! Firstly, to repay her for decades of loyalty, and secondly, to prevent the property from falling into the hands of enemy forces. He held Granny Sun's hand: "Sister Sun, this courtyard is yours from now on! When the Japanese are driven out and the world is at peace, we...we'll come back!"

With tears streaming down her face, Granny Sun kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Rest assured, sir! I will definitely take good care of the household!"

Wang Huanbo was only eight years old at the time. Holding the hands of Granny Sun and He Daqing, he watched the car carrying his parents, brothers, and sisters disappear into the alley. He Daqing, whose family was in Beijing, chose to stay and continue working as a cook for the Lou family. He brought Shazhu and Yushui to see them off. Little Shazhu was still too young to understand and kept asking Wang Huanbo to bring him a "fire wheel" (toy car) from America.

After a long and arduous journey, the Wang family finally arrived in San Francisco. The Wang family warmly welcomed them. Wang Yuanhua was a lean and capable old man; his wife had passed away early, and he lived with his daughter, Wang Jinshui, and son-in-law, Situ Nianhua. Situ Nianhua was Western-educated but deeply influenced by his father-in-law and uncle, Situ Meitang, and was very attentive to the family business and Chinese affairs.

Building upon Wang Yuanhua's "Huayanlou" restaurant, and leveraging the capital brought by Wang Jinshan and Situ Meitang's influence in the Chinese community, the Wang family quickly established themselves. Wang Huanbo's eldest brother, Wang Huanzha, displayed remarkable business acumen. While studying at Harvard Business School, he met Mason Durant, the youngest daughter of the aging and frustrated automotive tycoon William Durant. The two fell in love and married.

During a family gathering, Wang Huanbo, only ten years old but mature beyond his years, seemingly casually mentioned, "America is vast and sparsely populated, and every family has a car. Shopping requires going to several places at once, which is so inconvenient. If there were a large market, like a warehouse, selling everything and with convenient parking, it would definitely be popular." Wang Jinshan and Wang Huanfa were enlightened by his words. With the support of the Situ family, the first Carrefour supermarket opened in the suburbs of San Francisco, becoming an instant success thanks to its spaciousness, comprehensive selection, and low prices.

Following this, Wang Huanbo "casually" mentioned, "Americans eat quickly. If there were a kind of restaurant that only sold a few delicious items, like fried chicken and hamburgers, and made them quickly and cleanly, like a factory production line, and opened everywhere, it would definitely make money." William Durant, who was struggling to revive his former glory, seized this lifeline with the persuasion of his son-in-law Wang Huanfa and the financial support of the Wang family. The McDonald's fast-food chain was born, and Wang Huanbo even "contributed" several classic fried chicken and hamburger recipes that were later deciphered by food bloggers. The efficient operating model and standardized taste made McDonald's quickly popular throughout the United States. Before his peaceful death in 1947, Mr. Durant witnessed the success of his second venture and handed McDonald's over to Wang Huanfa and Mason to manage.

The eldest sister, Wang Huanshuang, after graduating from Wharton Business School, assisted her father, Wang Jinshan, in managing the ever-growing Carrefour empire.

Wang Huanbo himself, with the "super memory" and "rapid learning" abilities bestowed upon him by the system, became a legend in American schools. He skipped several grades and was admitted to MIT with top grades nationwide, majoring in mechanical engineering. At MIT, he thrived, earning his doctorate at the young age of eighteen. His reputation as a genius resounded throughout the academic world, and MIT even offered him a generous position as a faculty member.

However, on his eighteenth birthday, the system, which had been silent for eighteen years, finally spoke up again.

[Ding! Host detected to be of age, energy initially restored... Multiverse Transcending System officially activated... Final mission activated: Please return to Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, within one year, join the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill (formerly Lou's Steel Rolling Mill), and reside at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. Upon completion of the mission, the Multiverse Transcending function will be fully activated, initiating interdimensional adventures, and the system space (10000㎡, time frozen) will be simultaneously opened!]

Wang Huanbo was stunned. Return to China? To that courtyard house from his memories? And to work in a steel rolling mill? This system task was truly unexpected. But the allure of interdimensional travel was too great! His experiences in both his past and present lives made him unwilling to settle for mediocrity. After much deliberation, he made up his mind.

When he told his family that he wanted to return to China to participate in the construction, the whole family was in an uproar.

"Bo'er! Are you crazy? What's wrong with America? You're a top talent here, you'll suffer if you go back!" Wang Jinshan was the first to object.

"Young man, the country has just ended the war and everything is in ruins. It's too difficult, and..." Wang Huanfa hesitated, worried about the political situation.

"No! I absolutely disagree! You're my only brother!" The eldest sister, Wang Huanshuang, burst into tears.

Looking at his family, whose concern had clouded their judgment, Wang Huanbo felt a warmth in his heart, but his resolve remained firm. Unable to explain the system's existence, he could only appeal to righteousness and sentiment: "Dad, Mom (stepmother), brother, sister. I am Chinese; my roots are in China. Our country is newly established and urgently needs talent for its development. The knowledge I've acquired shouldn't be used solely to serve America. I want to go back and contribute to my motherland. Besides, that's our homeland; our ancestral home is still there, Grandma Sun is still there. I want to go back and see."

He used his brother-in-law Situ Nianhua's connections to contact Mr. Situ Meitang, who was still in China. Mr. Situ Meitang then conveyed Wang Huanbo's wishes and situation to the higher-ups. Soon, he received a positive response and welcome from the higher-ups.

Ultimately, his family couldn't dissuade him from his insistence, and knowing his heart was set on his homeland, they could only agree with tears in their eyes. Wang Jinshan settled Wang Huanbo's dividends from Carrefour and McDonald's over the years in one lump sum, raising more than 50 million US dollars, which he was to take back to his motherland, both to ensure his livelihood and to support construction. Wang Huanbo used his connections to book the safest ship tickets and route for him: first by ship to France, then by train across Eurasia, entering China through Manzhouli.

On the eve of his departure, Wang Huanbo stood on the balcony of his San Francisco villa, gazing towards the Pacific Ocean. He knew that this return would bring not only the reconstruction of his homeland, but also the coldness and warmth of human relationships within that courtyard house, and the fickleness of human nature. But he was fearless, even somewhat expectant.

"No. 95 Courtyard, you beasts, I, Wang Huanbo, have returned."